Roy Orbison

April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988

Roy Kelton Orbison was a popular singer-songwriter in the 1960’s. His distinctive voice was at times powerful and soft, but was always unmistakable. He charted massive hits such as “Oh Pretty Woman,” “Only the Lonely” and “Crying.” Known for his cool, almost statuesque, presence on stage and his trademark dark clothes and sunglasses, Roy exuded an aura of mystique. This, along with his deeply emotional vocals, helped further his fame as an artist. Despite a decade or so of waning popularity, Orbison found new success in the 1980’s as he recorded a new solo album and formed the folk-rock supergroup the Traveling Wilburys with fellow legends George Harrison, ELO’s Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. Alas, the resurrected career proved too much for his heart, which gave out on December 6th, 1988, just a few months after the Wilburys’ first album released and a year after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Section D, #97 (unmarked); On the western side of the large middle lawn section, Roy’s grave is in the same row as Donna Reed, but to the west between two trees, between the markers for Frank Wright Tuttle and Grandma Martha Monroe, just one row south and two spaces east of Richard Dawson.